The call of the country

KATE MORRIS gave up her high-pressured London job because of her love of country life. Kate, 42, who lives in Essex, grew up around horses but moved to central London to earn her living working for a property developer.

Kate Morris is selling Willowbank Farm in Essex to move to Portugal with her horses and dogs []

The job gave her the opportunity to invest in a number of apartments, which showed a healthy profit and enabled her to think about moving back to the country.

“I always wanted a country life and it was Solly, my dog, that made it happen,” she says.

“Living in a terraced house in Westminster was no life for him so I looked around and found an equestrian property in Essex.

“I’d always ridden so I bought myself a young thoroughbred. As the mare could not be kept on her own I had to buy her a friend, then a rescue pony arrived, and then my thoroughbred was in foal. From there it sort of snowballed. Now I have 10 horses and four foals.”

Kate had been introduced to a Portuguese breed called the Lusitano by friends and she now intends to specialise in this type. The horses have become popular with British riders thanks to their wonderful temperament and all-round capabilities. They make good hacks as well as jumpers and dressage horses.

Demand for equestrian properties has remained strong throughout the property downturn

Nick Hole-Jones

Now Kate is moving to their country of origin, Portugal, and has bought a place near Oporto in the north of the country where she intends to open a holiday business.

“Portugal is the obvious choice to set up the business,” she says.

“It’s a prime centre for the breed and what I have in mind is to create a Lusitano riding experience in Portugal for people coming from the UK.

“I will offer all the disciplines: dressage, show jumping, working equitation or just hacking out. I have a place in mind where guests will be able to ride up to the hotel, tether their horse, have a spot of lunch and then go out riding again. The Portuguese are very welcoming and the weather is a bonus.”

Her Essex property is on the market with Mullock Wells (01279 755 400/mullucks.co.uk) priced at £1,100,000. Dating back to the 16th century, Willowbank Farm has four bedrooms, plus a two to three-bedroom attached annex. The eight acres of grounds and paddocks include 13 stables and an all-weather manege.

Most of the horses have already been moved to Portugal. “I hired a huge transport lorry to take 10 of them over at a time but the whole trip took only 36 hours.

“Getting the dogs over there will be a separate challenge. I’ve still got a few horses in the UK so I’m hoping to partition half of another lorry for the horses, half for the dogs, and I’ll follow behind in the car.”

Estate agent Hamptons International, which launched a dedicated equestrian properties department in 2011, is encouraged by the recovery of this niche market despite price fluctuations.

Prices for equestrian homes fell by 14 per cent between 2007 and 2009 but they have now recovered half that ground, with the average price for the first six months of 2012 rising by seven per cent.

“Demand for equestrian properties has remained strong throughout the property downturn,” says Nick Hole-Jones, director for the South of England section.

“However, it is seasonal, with the spring and summer months generally seeing particularly high levels of activity.”

Buyers in this area are typically more selective in part due to the complexities of these properties but also because this tends to be a long-term family purchase.

“Also the conveyancing process has slowed somewhat as banks require a heightened level of due diligence before approving new mortgage applications,” says Nick.

The strongest levels of activity this year have been in Gloucestershire and Surrey.

On average, equestrian properties that are within commuting distance of London are more expensive as owners seek to find the best of both worlds with a country lifestyle as well as access to central London jobs.

Buyers typically look for homes at which horses can be kept but that are not necessarily dedicated to riding.

“While London prices continue to outperform the rest of the UK, we expect this to be one of the most important trends that will support demand for equestrian properties in the South,” says Nick.

“This is great news for regional property owners as there is a perennial desire for many to capture that little piece of country life.”